The insertion of an intravenous (I.V.) catheter can be a frightening and painful experience. The sight alone of the large gauge needle typically used in an I.V. catheter is enough to cause the patient to become anxious and tense. The patient's reaction causes his muscles to become tense and hard, making needle penetration difficult and painful.
Typically, the I.V. needle must be inserted into a vein along the forearm or on the back of a hand. It is not uncommon for a first attempt to insert the I.V. needle to fail because it is difficult to locate a vein in some patients. As a result, further painful probing is required to locate the vein and to insert the I.V. needle.
After insertion, an I.V. catheter may remain in place for an extended period of time. The site of penetration may remain painful due to the pulling and stretching of the catheter. As a result, the patient is subject to pain and suffering repeatedly and needlessly.
Accordingly a need has arisen to provide an apparatus to numb the intended I.V. needle penetration site in order to lessen the pain and suffering usually associated with I.V. catheter insertions. The present invention anesthetizes the general area around the needle penetration site and induces a skin wheal for painless of I.V. insertion. Where conventional syringes inject anesthesia into the tissues underlying the skin, the present invention is adapted for depositing the anesthesia in the skin to raise the skin wheal. The present invention is further directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.